If you were providing free labor its less desirable as a stand alone business. 

Even something as simple as sending a templated email with basic questions (desired move in date, any pets, list your requirements, etc.) to people who respond to your listing can help you gauge their interest.

I have no desire to pursue slumlord status.

However, if the saturation rate is lower and you are in a more desirable area with lower vacancy rates...the days on market should be less. 

So just make sure, whatever you're doing, that you're properly communicating your intentions and desired outcomes to whoever it is you're speaking to, because you'll get a lot more from your efforts.

Sometimes the decision is not 100% financial regarding property value, your needs and desires play in as well. 

The best you can arrive at is true par either way, up to you how much time you want to spend on that (you need a broker if you want to save time), or if you need the emotional sense of victory (you need a banker if you want to be quoted something high, that you negotiate down, for that emotional victory [in marital situations, this is often REQUIRED, and mortgage brokers suck at fulfilling this marital requirement]).You can also swap rate for fee and fee for rate to your heart's desire through either channel, I typically just show my California clients the wholesale rate sheet and let them tell me what they want.

This is a great forum with very knowledgeable members that will help to guide you in the right direction.If you are looking to connect with other members near you, or want to learn from people in a specific area you’d like to invest in, or have a desire to find people interested in certain topics, you could use the search feature here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search/usersI really like the alerts feature that can quickly guide you to current topics that might interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts

There are several desirable areas in Detroit that are well worth the investment with proper planning, due diligence and management from start to finish. 

Without knowing the specifics of your project or the desired end product, it's hard to offer more specific tips, but I hope these are helpful.Best of luck (and preparedness)!